


Real or Not

by PresidentofGallifrey



Category: Gallifrey (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 04:12:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12357201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PresidentofGallifrey/pseuds/PresidentofGallifrey





	Real or Not

The sting of the whip cutting into his flesh.

The smell of blood.

The sound of his screams echoing around the room.

Narvin hissed in pain as he woke up from another shallow sleep, filled with restless dreams and sharp pain. The whip lashes on his back were burning, as though they were on fire. The sheets were sticky where the antiseptic ointment had rubbed off. He knew he ought to get up and put some more on, but the simple act of pushing himself up made him want to scream. Taking a deep breath, he lay down on his stomach, rested his head on the pillow and hoped the pain would become more bearable once he was asleep.

This time there were no dreams of whips or blood. Instead there was the sound of ticking, steady and persistent. It wasn’t annoying so much as strange. He tried to concentrate on something else, but the ticking only became faster, more urgent. It was almost as if his subconscious was trying to tell him something. Narvin briefly wondered if it meant he was regenerating, but quickly dismissed the idea. He didn’t feel any different and neither did the pain.

Narvin let out a howl of agony as the wounds on his back made contact with something hard. He opened his eyes to see a dark figure leaning over him, pinning him to the floor. In the dark, it was hard to tell the features of his opponent, but it looked humanoid. Narvin lashed out at where he hoped the eyes would be, but instead of soft tissue his hand banged against plastic and he let out a shocked yelp.

 The strange being shifted its weight onto his ribcage and grabbed his shoulders, effectively immobilizing him. Narvin screamed again as the hard floor pressed against his open wounds. He squirmed and tried to wriggle free, but the being pressed harder. Narvin was panting now. His hand groped around and wrapped around something long and hard. He swung the object, which turned out to be a metal bat, at the being’s head. Its grip loosened for a moment and he scrambled away, making for the door.

 

 

Vansell had been in the middle of a really nice dream. He was dancing with a lovely Time Lady. They were just about to kiss when a series of urgent knocks wrenched him back to reality. He woke up, cursing under his breath as he pulled on his robe and opened the door.

Narvin was leaning against the doorframe, breathing heavily. Vansell regarded him with displeasure. It wasn’t like his partner to go around waking people up in the middle of the night. Maybe his wounds were hurting again.

   “The Panopticon better be burning down.” He snapped.

   “I was just attacked by an Auton.”

   “An Auton?” Vansell was instantly alert. “Where?”

   “It attacked me in my quarters. It must have been impersonating a Time Lord, but I have no idea how it got onto Gallifrey. It could be anywhere by now.” Narvin’s breathing was ragged and he looked like he was having trouble staying upright.

   Vansell was about to suggest he go back to his quarters and rest when he noticed something strange. “You’re wearing a shirt.” He said.

   Narvin gave him a withering look. “Well I could hardly run around headquarters in my trousers.”

   Vansell frowned. “I thought your wounds were stilling hurting too much.”

Narvin shrugged. “They’re better now.” He shifted from foot to foot. “We have to tell the Coordinator.”

Vansell was starting to become suspicious. He’d seen the extent of Narvin’s injuries and even with Time Lord healing, it still should have taken a few more days for him to be able to do that without wincing.

He turned back towards his bedside table. “Let me get something first.”

 

  Narvin twisted his hands, trying to loosen the ropes around his wrists. The movement caused his back to rub against the wall of the closet and he gave up. He had tried tossing his head in the hope that his captor didn’t know how to tie a proper knot and that he could dislodge the gag in his mouth. When that proved to be a fruitless venture, he turned his attention to his bonds.He had barely taken two steps when the being slammed into him, driving the breath out of his chest. Narvin didn’t know a lot about Autons, other than the fact that they were living plastic and that they could imitate others. He hadn’t known that they were so strong, or that they could tie such a good knot. The being had left him here while it went to do whatever else it had come to do.

He froze as he heard the door to his quarters creak open. There was the sound of footsteps and he saw light from a crack at the bottom of the closet. Taking deep breaths he willed himself to be still, watching as a shadow approached. The shadow stopped by the door and he heard a key turning. He shut his eyes and waited to die.

“There you are.” He heard a familiar voice and felt someone slip his gag off.

“Are you okay?” Vansell asked as Narvin coughed.

“I’m fine. Where’s that thing?”

“The Auton? It’s dead, deactivated to be exact.” Vansell pulled him up. He glanced at Narvin and whistled softly. “You’re a mess.”

“I know.” Narvin grumbled as he pressed a hand to his side, which came up sticky with blood. “I need a shower.”

Vansell holstered his blaster and turned to leave. “Good luck with that.”

“Wait! What about that thing?”

Vansell turned. “It’ll still be there in the morning. I’m going back to bed and you need your sleep too. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He shut the door firmly behind him.


End file.
